Season of Creation

The Judeo-Christian tradition has a long history of celebrating the gift of creation. Creation itself is seen as a great gift from God and an expression of God’s self and love. Incorporating acts of gratitude in our worship and daily life seems natural and good. We know now that being thankful ought to lead us to acting on behalf of creation and striving to protect its integrity. The climate-change deniers are as fools.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has joined leaders of other Christian churches in a joint letter encouraging participation in the Season of Creation. The annual celebration of prayer and action to protect the environment emerged from a proclamation by the Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I in 1989. He called on Orthodox Christians to observe September 1st each year as a day of prayer for creation. Many churches across the world from different traditions began celebrating a Season of Creation between that date and October 4th – the feast of St Francis of Assisi. During this period, Christians across denominations and national borders are encouraged to join together in prayer for creation and environmental stewardship.

Christians worldwide united in prayer and are committed to the ministry of healing the earth during the Season of Creation. This annual initiative is led by global Anglican, Roman Catholic, ecumenical, and interfaith organizations.

The season also serves as a way to reflect upon the Sustainable Development Goals identified by the United Nations and highlighted by Anglican leaders, including Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. These goals include clean water, affordable clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, and action to tackle climate change.